When Congress decides which side they're on in the Syrian intervention they will have to consider whether they want to respond to pro-war pressure from inside-the-Beltway or to the anti-war sentiments of their constituents.

Leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reached an agreement on a draft authorization for the use of military force in Syria that was much narrower than the request made by President Obama, paving the way for a vote by the committee.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey couldn’t answer what exactly the U.S. was seeking in Syria Tuesday during questioning from Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) about a resolution authorizing military action there

President Obama won the support on Tuesday of Republican and Democratic leaders in the House for an attack on Syria, giving him a foundation to win broader approval for military action from a Congress that still harbors deep reservations.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently deployed the “It’s for the children” trope in a debate that she had – and lost – with her 5-year-old grandson over the impending war with Syria. Since the child has not yet been processed through the

Israel tested a U.S.-backed missile system in the Mediterranean on Tuesday but did not announce the launch in advance, prompting a disclosure by Russia that kept the world on edge as the United States weighed an attack on Syria.

Bombing Syria is an act of war, no matter what language Congress might devise to bomb and still avoid declaring war. Congress should debate the reasons for making or not making war against Syria, because that is what is involved in bombing Syria.

Officially, the Obama Administration is entirely confident of its ability to sell Congress on the Syrian War, with Secretary of State John Kerry pushing the case again while downplaying the importance of what Congress thinks.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, has spoken soberly about the dangers from any military strike on Syria, but press reports indicate President Obama is still set on launching cruise missiles in the coming days, an action that form

Syria has asked the United Nations to prevent "any aggression" against Syria following a call over the weekend by U.S. President Barack Obama for punitive strikes against the Syrian military for last month's chemical weapons attack.

Echoing comments by Putin at the weekend, Lavrov said: "There are no facts there ... and when we ask for more detailed proof. They say, 'You know, it's all secret, so we cannot show it'. That means there are no such facts."